Yerevan State Medical University

As a condition for recruitment in clinical residency/internship, I undertake a commitment to strictly follow the clinical residency/internship rules and principles.

I undertake a commitment to honestly conduct my medical duties and prioritize my patients’ health and rights.

I undertake a commitment to treat each of my patients in a manner I would like to be treated.

I undertake a commitment to always remember that a doctor is a person entitled to treat patients and simultaneously assist his/her colleagues. Fully devoting all my knowledge, skills and abilities, I will dedicate myself to treatment of patients with complete respect to human dignity. I undertake a commitment to make efforts for scientific progress and development of my practice paying permanent attention to the problems in my professional field.

I undertake a commitment to maintain my professional competency level through continuing medical education based on recognized schemes of diagnostics, treatment and prevention. I consider these principles, recommendations and protocols as a necessary condition in choosing the best method of treatment for each patient.

While treating each of my patients I will strive to deepen my knowledge in the field of each certain nosology, ask my colleagues’ opinion, and utilize up-to-date means of communication with my colleagues with a single purpose to choose a professionally correct and modern option of diagnostics and treatment mode as less traumatic and less invasive as possible. I will treat my colleagues with gratitude for assistance in selection of the best treatment method following confidentiality and agreed with the patient.

I will protect my profession and society in general from incompetent and immoral doctors.

I will totally strive to correct the errors made by my colleagues, find solutions in sorrowful situations without harming their dignity and honor. I will neither condemn them publicly nor archly philosophize hinting the patient or his/her relatives either about incorrect methods of treatment or my own superiority over my colleagues. I will always remember that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish whether it is the doctor’s fault or misfortune. I am authorized to require my colleagues to follow the Ethics Code.

Pre- and postoperative care of the patients and the follow-up period are the subject of my personal responsibility apart from cases where my substitution by another doctor is deemed necessary. In this case the doctor undertaking this liability should have relevant qualification.

My relationships with the society will be correct and I will not exaggerate my own practical skills, acknowledgments, experience or abilities. I understand that the desire to act as described above will entail disciplinary actions. I will be truthful, honest and fair in my relationships with the patients and colleagues. If I am asked to testify in the court as an expert, then my statements should be based on real and recent experience within the corresponding field. I will entirely study all medical facts and testify fairly and fully, honestly and impartially making use of my knowledge and abilities as much as possible.

I will conduct my scientific research and teaching activities honestly, fairly and fully, recognizing the responsibility towards myself and my colleagues, my university and the society. I will consider the dissemination of information as an inherent component of scientific research process. As an author of scientific articles, I will assure that I and my colleagues follow the ethics standards. I will do my best for investigations to strictly correspond to required protocols and standards.

I understand that my commitment towards the patient is invalid if I cannot continue his/her treatment because of reasons out of my control. I will make every effort to find a relevant substitute for me. I will blame unnecessary surgical operations as the most serious breach of the Ethics Code as well as I will not conduct any operation without either necessary preoperative investigation or availability of postoperative care.

Patients’ agreement is an inherent component and condition for provision of medical aid. I understand that my patients should be fully informed about everything so that they can independently select a method of treatment regardless my advice or decision. The information provided to the patient should incorporate all possible positive and negative aspects of diagnostics and treatment, expenditures, expected outcomes and possible complications, as well as alternative methods of treatment available and their cost.

I will follow the law and at that I will look for amendments in laws being against my colleagues’ and patients’ interests. I will follow the standards for professional discipline.

I believe that my liabilities towards the medical society are a component of general medical code in general.

I will work on improvement of the present Code and thus improve the provided services, and increase their value for the society. I understand that time to time it will be necessary to amend some of the items of the present Code. It is inevitable that some ethical issues could raise, therefore they should be reasonably studied in the light of an individual and society as well as consequences of various actions that cannot be foreseen currently.

As my duty I undertake a commitment to follow the present Code of professional honor wherein I sign below.